Harbinger
by FrostedPurpleIrises91
Summary: On a quiet and beautiful Utapaun evening, General Grievous reunites with a figure from his tragic past... Oneshot. GrievousXKummar.


**Author's note: Okay, well this is the first time I did a Star Wars one shot! If you're not a big buff on SW expanded universe (EU), this whole thing might be a little confusing for you to follow. Qymaen jai Sheelal is General Grievous' birth name. Ronderu lij Kummar was the name of his closest companion/lover who had died before he turned into a cyborg. This whole thing was a product of boredom, listening to too much Nox Arcana, my obsession with Grievous and the urge to keep the creative juices flowing. Anyway, tell me what you think! I love and value the reviews so don't be afraid! Enjoy! :D**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars or any of its characters!**

Harbinger

(The eve of the Battle of Utapau)

The Utapaun night was rather chilly on that evening. At the very top of the abysmal sinkhole, you could see one of the nine moons hang high in the star studded sky. The stars glittered like many unobtainable and magnificent diamonds. All was calm and it seemed as if there wasn't a war raging on in the fractured and plagued galaxy.

_'It's so beautiful isn't it, Qymaen?'_

All was not as serene as one would think. The denizens of Pau City slept in an uneasy and strained sleep. Children quivered beneath their blankets, shaking in fear from the warnings their parents gave them of mechanical soldiers coming to take them away. Doors were firmly locked and the residents hoped they would at least have a little freedom and privacy in their dreams.

_'You're right, Ronderu. Sometimes, there's nothing better than star-gazing.'_

One single soul had decided to stand outside and observe the beauty of the nocturnal sky. His powerful inorganic arms were folded across his damaged chest. A regal cape that he wore lightly billowed when a slight breeze came to life. Cruel metal talons scrapped gently across the smooth platform as he took a step closer to the precipice. From behind a fearsome mask, a pair of beautiful yet haunting reptilian eyes scanned the stars above him.

General Grievous narrowed his eyes, wondering which planets that orbited those stars were the ones that he conquered: there were quite a lot after all. Sometimes, when he wasn't orchestrating terrifying conquests or terrorizing Jedi and their clones, he liked to step outside into the evening of whatever planet he was occupying and stare up at the heavens. It temporarily quelled the fires of vengeance and fury that raged within him. But at the same time, it filled him with so much bittersweet nostalgia of a past that taunted him all the time. At the back of his mind, Grievous wondered where his homeworld, Kalee, was amongst the infinite black sea.

More than anything else, he wanted to go back home for a little while. Even if it was for just a few days, it would've worked wonders on him. Life had not been smiling very kindly on him once again.

With venomous hatred, he remembered when the wielder of the purple blade crushed his chest with the Force. That action had only further irritated his remnants which still needed to adjust to the cold and unfeeling cocoon of a duranium and steel shell. Grievous coughed more frequently than usual. As a result, the proud and powerful cyborg began to question his strength now. At this point, he wondered if he really could survive through this war.

Not only that, Dooku was dead. He was now the absolute authority in the CIS now. Grievous did like this newfound power but he slowly began to loathe it now. He had inherited the political throne that his old master left behind. In truth, he could care less about politics. It was far too time consuming and he saw it as the game of cowards. Now he needed to be more in touch with the greedy and loathly pieces of scum that consisted of the Separatist Council. If it was completely up to Grievous, he would personally dissolve that corrupt and trivial body forever. The half-droid was fairly confident he could win without them. The droids they contributed really didn't prove to be the most spectacular warriors anyway.

Kalee. It was home. It was sanctuary. It was also Hell.

"Sir."

Grievous snapped back to reality. An electrical-sounding voice caught his hearing. With a whirl of his cloak, he spun around to face the origin of the voice. He was met by two creepy red optics: it was only a MagnaGuard.

"Get away from me!" the general growled, angry that someone had disturbed his peace. "I wish to be alone. Will you please stop following me for the evening? I just want to have some peace, quiet and some time to think. It can wait until morning!"

Preferring to obey his superior, the daunting droid turned around and began to walk away. Grievous focused back on the sky yet listened to the MagnaGuard's clanking footsteps carefully, making sure it really did obey his commands to leave. For a few moments, he heard it walk away until the footsteps were drowned out by the eerie calm of the Utapaun evening.

He sighed.

'_When we win this war, I'll take you to wherever you want to go amongst those stars. I wouldn't want to travel with anyone else…'_

When he looked at the stars all alone, he was always reminded of her. Her beautiful masked face invaded his thoughts. All the memories they shared years ago came flooding back in a painful tumult. There was the good, the bad and the worst. Although he never wanted to admit it anyone, Grievous wished she would come back into his life and talk to him again. There were nights when he needed her so badly, he felt like someone was slicing his heart up with a frigid blade.

'_I'm more than happy to just stay here with you, my love. This is our home. This is where we were born. This is where our seeds will be planted.'_

He looked forward to that day more than anything else. Together, they had dreamt and planned when they weren't fighting side by side on the battlefield. The two Kaleesh demigods had planned out their lives to always be together after they had at last conquered the Huk.

Yet it was never meant to be.

She had died in the thick and chaos of a bloody battle. The hungry and merciless waters of the Jenuwaa Sea stole her from him before he could try to save her. The last time he saw her was before the battle. Ronderu kissed him on his lips.

'_Try not to get killed, Qymaen. I have too much I want to do with you.'_

"Ronderu…" he muttered softly. "How could this happen? Maybe this is all my fault…"

He never did get over her death even after all these years later. Grievous loved her more than life itself. To him, Ronderu lij Kummar was his true love. He only wanted to do everything with her and no one else. They were planning on growing old together. Now she was gone from his existence.

Of course he could never publicly admit this to anyone. It would ruin his image as a completely heartless and malicious mechanical creature. That's how he wanted his enemies to see him. But deep down, he knew it wasn't wholly true.

He shut his eyes and allowed himself to zone out for a few moments. Grievous couldn't allow himself to get upset over her absence at a time like this.

"Qymaen jai Sheelal…"

His eyelids shot open immediately. His heart had skipped a few beats in shock. He hadn't heard that name in a very long time. Swiftly, Grievous spun around, looking for the owner of the voice. Undoubtedly, it belonged to a woman. Yet it sounded strange: it sounded hollow like the wind.

"Hello!" he called. "Who goes there?" He fingered a lightsaber around his waist. "I order you to reveal yourself! It is not wise to trifle with me!"

But there was no one. There wasn't even a droid patrolling the area near him. His gold eyes scanned the darkness, looking for a faint sign of movement or a silhouette camouflaged amongst the shadows. Grievous placed a claw up on his forehead and shook his head, beginning to believe he was hallucinating.

"My mind is playing tricks on me…"

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a peculiar looking figure. Grievous turned to face the anomaly, catching sight of it as disappeared around a bend.

"You!"

Like a mighty wind, the large cyborg dashed to the mysterious figure. He drew his blade and a blue light illuminated the dark and lonely path for him. Grievous saw his company turn around another bend at the far end of the corridor.

"You must want to die if you dare to defy my orders!"

He sprinted down the hall, determined to identify this culprit. It slightly disturbed him that this person knew the name he had discarded when Ronderu had died. And he couldn't wait to strike down this nameless being for doing such a thing.

It only took Grievous a few seconds to make it to the other end of the hall. He looked down the bend, seeing he was at the entrance to his personal quarters. There was no other way the person could have gone or escaped. Snickering with wicked pleasure, he advanced closer to the door.

The door opened automatically and he stepped into the dark room. For some unexplainable reason, he was compelled to look out to the far side of his quarters where there was situated a square shaped window.

What he saw chilled what little blood he had left in his artificial veins. In his shock, Grievous dropped the lightsaber that he once held strongly in his hand. His eyes were huge with disbelief. He had gone completely still like a statue.

Standing by the window was a lovely looking lady who emanated a bluish looking aura. Dark brown hair cascaded from her head. Four fingered claws hung at her sides, revealing her skinny and bandaged arms. She donned a tattered yet feminine warrior's gown which consisted of several different shades of brown. Her face was concealed by a tribal mask but beneath it, one could see Kaleesh eyes: Grievous' eyes. They were looking at him lovingly and longingly.

The two looked at each other for a few moments but it felt like a few centuries. Now Grievous could at last feel the uneasy calm.

"Ronderu..?" he gasped.

With faltering steps, he walked closer to his long-dead love. As he got closer to her, he noticed that she was actually semi-transparent. The half-droid could see the wall through her.

"Is it really… Is it really you?"

He stopped only inches away from her. This had to be a wild dream to him or some kind of cruel and sick joke. Raising a hand, he reached out to touch her face. Gasping again, Grievous observed as his hand went right through her. Quickly, he drew his hand back. She only kept her soft and beautiful smile.

"It is you! But, you're dead… I cannot touch you. Yet you came back to see me."

Ronderu's phantom came even closer to him. She lifted a transparent hand and placed it on his face. Grievous sighed in contentment. He blinked. The ghostly Kaleesh lady's face closed in. Then she kissed him on his vocabulator. He yearned to grab onto her and never let her go. He had let her go on the beach and lost her. Now that she was there before his very eyes, Grievous wanted the moment to last forever.

"I love you…" he whispered. "I will always love you, Ronderu."

She took a few steps back on wispy feet. Her gentle look remained.

"I will see you soon, Qymaen," she spoke at last. "I love you too… The wait is drawing to an end."

For the first time in years, Grievous could feel tears coming to his eyes. Mournfully, he acknowledged the harsh truth that he could not have her. He watched as she steadily evaporated into nothingness. After a few moments, he was completely and utterly alone once more.

Grievous fell to his knees, cradling his head in his claw-like hands and tried to make sense of what had just happened.

It was no dream. It was real. Ronderu lij Kummar had manifested before his very eyes. And she kissed him. She still loved him even in death.

They were going to be together again after all. She said soon. But she never did say when exactly…


End file.
